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International development cooperation is in crisis. Questions abound: is it effective? Is it even useful? After ten years of "aid fatigue", here is a lucid, constructive book that sheds new light on the problems, and makes proposals for reform that are both thoughtful and innovative. Jean-David Naudet's analysis is a genuine contribution to the literature on aid. He combines the insight of the sociologist and the experience of the practitioner, with a few enlightening incursions into organization theory.
The book is both pragmatic and concrete, and is based on papers and workshops organized by the Club du Sahel as part of a detailed study of international development cooperation. It is direct in style and easy to read, with a wealth of quotations and examples.
Although it mainly covers the Sahel region, the analysis and proposals for reform are relevant to all of Africa and even other parts of the world. Similarly, the vivid picture it draws of the cooperation and aid relationship is reminiscent of the situation in many countries. "Mr. Naudet is to be congratulated for producing this provocative and hard-hitting book". Elliot Berg. Jean-David Naudet is at present working as an economist at DIAL (Développement et insertion internationale), a scientific interest grouping.
OECD's journal on financial markets. This issue featues articles on recent trends in financial markets, privatisation trends, international financial contagion, and main changes in the financial structure of the Euro Zone. It also features institutional investors and insurance data.
How did the transition from compulsory education to work change during the 1990s and which types of transition policies worked best? The experiences of 14 OECD countries are examined in this volume to address these two key questions, for as requirements for knowledge and qualifications and skills rise and populations age, few countries can afford to have their young people enter the labour force unequipped for longer term participation in changing career patterns.
Taking a broader view of transition outcomes than many previous comparative studies, this study reveals the complex and many-faceted national institutional arrangements that can result in successful transitions to working life. It argues not for single solutions or models, such as the adoption of apprenticeship, but for coherent national policy packages that draw from a limited number of key success ingredients: a healthy economy and labour market, well organised pathways from initial education to work and further study, opportunities to combine study and workplace experience, safety nets for those at risk, effective information and guidance systems, and policy processes involving both governments and other stakeholders.
It also looks at the ways that countries are trying to lay solid foundations for lifelong learning during the transition phase through changes to educational pathways and institutions and through adopting more learner-centred approaches to teaching and learning.
This document highlights ways in which socio-economic analysis (SEA) can improve chemical risk management in general. It provides a general discussion of the key elements of socioeconomic analysis, drawing on guidelines already existing in OECD countries and the experience that has been gained through applying them. The document focuses on tools for reducing public health and environmental risks to society as a whole (and to particular at risk groups within society), rather than on financial risks to business or individual organisations. The document is designed toassist decision makers who use the results of SEA to understand the processes underlying the results; help providers of the information used in SEA, including risk analysts, to understand the context in which their information is used; and act as a general reference source for practitioners of SEA and stakeholders interested in the SEA process.
OECD's journal on financial markets. In addition to the analysis of recent developments, this issue includes a feature on government debt management and articles on trade in financial services, regulation of investments by insurance companies and pension funds, mergers and acquisitions and more.
This reliable source of yearly data covers a wide range of international statistics on foreign trade of OECD countries and provides detailed data in value by commodity and by partner country. Each of the first four volumes of Foreign Trade by Commodities contains the tables for seven countries that are published as they become available. The fifth volume includes he OECD main country groupings (OECD-Total, NAFTA, OECD-Asia and Pacific, OECD-Europe, EU 15, etc.). For each country, this publication shows detailed tables relating to the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), Revision 3, Sections and Divisions (one and two digit). Each table shows both imports and exports over the latest six-year period available by commodity with about one hundred partner countries or country groupings (e.g. NAFTA, etc.). ALSO AVAILABLE ON CD-ROM Even more detailed data on foreign trade by commodities is available on a set of CD-ROMs, ITCS - International Trade by Commodity Statistics, which is updated several times per year. It gives complete details on commodities and partner countries in value and quantity. Several versions are available according to the classification used and the length of the time series.Data are classified according to the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) or the Harmonised System (HS). For highly up-to-date aggregates, indices and indicators, consult the monthly issue of Monthly Statistics of Foreign Trade and its associated CD-ROM.
OECD's journal on financial markets. In addition to its regular assessment of recent development, this issue includes articles on securitisation, fixed-income securities markets, international insurance operations, tax distortions to cross-border portfolio investment, and more.
OECD's journal on financial markets. In addition to the report on recent developments in financial markets, this issue includes articles on highly leveraged investors, corporate governance, interest rate swaps and debt management in Denmark, and more.
Ten years into the transition, newly emerging private enterprises in transition economies, usually described as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the international context, have come to play an increasingly important role as the driving engines of economic growth and employment creation. Accordingly, the policy considerations for developing SMEs are becoming very urgent and important for transition economies, especially through facilitating financial mechanisms for them, as limited availability of financial resources is the largest hindrance to their development.
This publication gathers the proceedings of the Second Workshop on "Financing Newly Emerging Private Enterprises in Transition Economies" which was organised in Paris under the aegis of the OECD’s Centre for Co-operation with Non-Members with the sponsorship of the Japanese Government. This volume contains in-depth studies on various schemes for financing these enterprises, including credit guarantees, leasing, venture capital and capital market operations, as well as public schemes. In addition, it provides detailed and comparative information on the situation of SME development and the policy measures towards it.
On the surface there is agreement, sustainable development refers to a broad set of issues, going beyond the relationship between the economy and the environment to encompass human and social concerns. Scratch the surface and you open a Pandora's box of differing notions of sustainability and means of achieving it. How can progress towards sustainable development be measured then? The major difficulty in developing indicators to track progress towards sustainable development is not the lack of data but rather the lack of frameworks to organise and synthesize existing information. This volume brings together a number of approaches to this question pursued in academia, national administrations and international organisations, as presented at an expert workshop held at the OECD headquarters in September 1999. These approaches include developments of the traditional national accounts system, construction of synthetic measures of sustainability such as "genuine savings", physical measures of material flows, and selections of indicators based on variants of the "pressure, state, response" model. This volume also reviews a number of initiatives undertaken within the OECD to monitor trends in the sustainability of specific sectors and sub-national areas.
This reliable source of yearly data covers a wide range of international statistics on foreign trade of OECD countries and provides detailed data in value by commodity and by partner country. Each of the first four volumes of Foreign Trade by Commodities contains the tables for seven countries that are published as they become available. The fifth volume includes he OECD main country groupings (OECD-Total, NAFTA, OECD-Asia and Pacific, OECD-Europe, EU-15, etc.). For each country, this publication shows detailed tables relating to the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), Revision 3, Sections and Divisions (one and two digit). Each table shows both imports and exports over the latest six-year period available by commodity with about one hundred partner countries or country groupings (e.g. NAFTA, etc.). ALSO AVAILABLE ON CD-ROM Even more detailed data on foreign trade by commodities is available on a set of CD-ROMs, ITCS - International Trade by Commodity Statistics, which is updated several times per year. It gives complete details on commodities and partner countries in value and quantity. Several versions are available according to the classification used and the length of the time series.Data are classified according to the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) or the Harmonised System (HS). For highly up-to-date aggregates, indices and indicators, consult the monthly issue of Monthly Statistics of Foreign Trade and its associated CD-ROM.
FOREIGN TRADE BY COMMODITIES, 1992-1997, VOLUME 5,
This reliable source of yearly data covers a wide range of international statistics on foreign trade of OECD countries and provides detailed data in value by commodity and by partner country. Each of the first four volumes of Foreign Trade by Commodities contains the tables for seven countries that are published as they become available. The fifth volume includes the OECD main country groupings (OECD-Total, NAFTA, OECD-Asia and Pacific, OECD-Europe, EU-15, etc.). For each country, this publication shows detailed tables relating to the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), Revision 3, Sections and Divisions (one and two digit). Each table shows both imports and exports over the latest six-year period available by commodity with about one hundred partner countries or country groupings (e.g. NAFTA, etc.). ALSO AVAILABLE ON CD-ROM Even more detailed data on foreign trade by commodities is available on a set of CD-ROMs, ITCS -International Trade by Commodity Statistics, which is updated several times per year. It gives complete details on commodities and partner countries in value and quantity. Several versions are available according to the classification used and the length of the time series. Data are classified according to the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) or the Harmonised System (HS). For highly up-to-date aggregates, indices and indicators, consult the monthly issue of Monthly Statistics of Foreign Trade and its associated CD-ROM. For further information on these titles, please consult: org/std/tradhome.htm
This reliable source of annual commodity trade data provides detailed statistics in value by commodity and by partner country for trade of OECD countries with most partner countries. This issue covers 1993-1998 for Belgium/Luxembourg, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan and Switzerland.
For each country, this publication provides tables relating to the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), Revision 3, Sections and Divisions (one and two digit). Each table shows both imports and exports over the latest six-year period available by commodity with about one hundred partner countries or country groupings.
This reliable source of annual commodity trade data provides detailed statistics in value by commodity and by partner country for trade of OECD countries with most partner countries. This issue covers 1993-1998 for Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Iceland, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden.
For each country, this publication shows detailed tables relating to the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), Revision 3, Sections and Divisions (one and two digit). Each table shows both imports and exports over the latest six-year period available by commodity with about one hundred partner countries or country groupings (e.g. NAFTA, etc.).
The financial crisis in Asia has brought to the fore the question of the appropriate policies for recovery and for future sustainable development. One area of particular importance is the treatment of foreign investors. Foreign direct investment has played a leading role in many of the economies of the region, particularly in export sectors, and has been a vital source of foreign capital during the crisis. The four countries reviewed in this study - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand - have all tended to welcome inward investment for its contribution to exports but have often been less willing to open up the domestic market to such investors. This study discusses the role assigned to foreign firms in the development strategies of the four countries in the past and looks at how a more balanced approach to the treatment of foreign investors could contribute to a more sustainable development path in the future.
OECD countries believe that foreign direct investment (FDI) will play a critical role in the rise of standards of living among nations well into the 21st century. A crucial aspect will be whether FDI’s contribution to economic development will respond in a balanced and sustainable way to the aspirations and expectations of host and home countries alike.
This and other related issues were highlighted at a conference on the Role of Investment in Development, Corporate Responsibilities and OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. This event provided a unique forum for dialogue between participants from OECD member states and developing countries, academic, business and labour circles and civil society on the development impact of FDI, the effectiveness of national policies and the responsibilities of multinational enterprises. These issues are expected to be taken up again at the forthcoming WTO Ministerial in Seattle.
Highly publicised outbreaks of food-borne diseases have put food safety at the heart of a topical debate. Demands for increased food safety regulation and stricter enforcement have gained momentum. In fact, consumer concerns go well beyond basic food safety. The quality of food and how it is produced, animal welfare, the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), hormones and other growth promoters, cultural preferences, resource sustainability and protection of the environment have all become major issues in the public debate over regulation of the food industry. The issues are complex and the required policy response remains unclear. With the strengthening of international rules, increased trade in consumer food products and the growing use of biotechnology, trade conflicts over food regulatory issues and their reform could become more common. The economic stakes are high and such disputes are likely to remain a priority in the future trade agenda. This report examines the trade conflicts arising from food safety and quality issues. It summarises the key international agreements, illustrates the range and nature of current disputes, reviews the potential contributions of economic analysis to conflict resolution, and identifies areas requiring further analysis.
This reliable source of annual commodity trade data provides detailed statistics in value by commodity and by partner country for trade of OECD countries with most partner countries. This issue covers 1993-1998 for Hungary, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, spain, the Netherlands, and Turkey.
For each country, this publication provides tables relating to the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), Revision 3, Sections and Divisions (one and two digit). Each table shows both imports and exports over the latest six-year period available by commodity with about one hundred partner countries or country groupings.
The aim of every politician is to transform the city into an environmentally sustainable entity. However, while the planning and organisation of passenger services within cities is commonly perceived as a major issue, freight transport is not given the full attention it deserves. As a general rule, the role which freight transport plays in the economy of cities is simply not understood. What invariably attracts attention, on the other hand, is the added pollution and congestion caused by freight transport.
Europe has recently produced a host of new urban development schemes which place more or less severe restrictions on freight movements in cities. While some cities have introduced measures in line with the town planning objectives of territorial development plans, others have adopted short-term solutions to traffic management problems. Since we know that cities are living entities whose vital processes can be disrupted, how can we be sure that all of these measures are a step in the right direction? Our lack of experience makes this a question we would be well advised to consider.
The Round Table reviewed the various aspects of freight transport by examining experiences in different countries and by discussing some of the more innovatory approaches adopted.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) is one of the driving forces binding countries into closer economic interdependence. The rapid increase in FDI flows has generated considerable debate about its environmental implications, in particular the impacts on environmental quality in the investment host country. A broader issue is the role of FDI in promoting sustainable development. To date, much of the debate has been polemical in nature. This volume moves the debate forward by analysing in a clear and considered manner the key issues in the FDI and environment relationship. Empirical evidence from OECD and non-OECD countries is presented and the strengths and weaknesses of policy and institutional frameworks that guide investors' environmental behaviour are discussed. In addition, the emerging role of voluntary commitments on the environment is examined. Best practices in this area are highlighted. The papers were presented at the OECD Conference on Foreign Direct Investment and the Environment held in January 1999 in The Hague.